Bonding in the rain
by Sonar
Summary: An unexpected run in leads to some bonding.


Bonding in the Rain by Sonar

Disclaimer: Blaze Shizuzhaki and Savanna are my characters and I do not own any Naruto characters that appear or are mentioned in the story. This also takes place way before Kabuto was revealed as a spy and she is actually still in school but assigned to a team early due to her abilities.

A mission did appear to be successful but of course, Blaze Shizuzhaki got caught in a rain storm while on her way back to the village. To top it off, the rain was so bad that it was not easy to get a bearing of where she was. Still, she was able to send her bird Savanna head to inform the hokage that she had finished her mission. Her eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses and her brown hair was getting soaked.

All she did know is that rain usually felt like a bad omen to her. Considering that she was quite young yet, there was alot to learn out there even if she was placed on a team early which gave her somewhat of an advantage over the other younger ninjas. Still, she had felt different than the others considering she carries a deadly secret that might get her placed in danger someday.

She thought," I do not like the feel of this."

She was thinking about the rain as some water on the branches nearly caused her to fall. Still, she mantained her balance while reflecting on the day that her original team was killed. She could not recall how the ninjas died around her but from what she was told, it was best that she did not tell anyone the truth about her ninja abilities.

Sighing softly, she made another jump only to find herself falling towards the hard ground below. She did let out a gasp as her sunglasses nearly fell off her face. There was almost no time to react as her arms got in front of her. However, the unexpected would soon happen as if fate intervened.

Someone had moved and caught her just in time before she could even meet the ground. Breathing could be heard as her saviour caught his breath while she was catching hers. She was about to get an unexpected shock even if she already knew the truth about him. As she opened her eyes, she saw a familar face as he seemed relieved that he caught her.

Kabuto Yakushi was right there, holding her in his arms while a smile crossed his features. Maybe she should of been shocked considering that no one but her from the leaf village knew that he was working for Orochimaru. Still, it made her wonder if he was heading back to the village himself.

Kabuto said," Hello Blaze. Think I was going to let you fall and get hurt?"

Blaze spoke," Kabuto."

Relieved as she was, she should of been taking action but couldn't do it. He had almost set her down but stopped himself. As he looked at her face, he was relieved to still be able to see her without Orochimaru knowing the truth about their friendship.

Kabuto told her," You shouldn't be out by yourself Blaze but still, it was a good thing that I happened to be around."

There was no sarcastic remark coming from her as she was just relieved that he was there to catch her. Kabuto looked around and his body relaxed once he saw that no one was around. Blaze did seem to be on her guard a bit as Kabuto quickly jumped and got moving.

She asked," Where are we going?"

Kabuto replied," Shelter. This storm is making it hard to see."

She did feel close to him and one day, she would at least repay the favor even if he was a sound ninja. Still, he did have the advantage of no one knowing that he is a spy and Blaze had not revealed anything about him. She never really questioned him but maybe the answers would be discovered one day. For now, she left her trust in him to find them a location while he was carrying her.

For a few minutes, they were looking around but Kabuto managed to spot a cave near by.

Blaze asked," Do you see something?"

She noticed that Kabuto's eyes were almost straining to see through his glasses while the raindrops were nearly blocking his view.

Kabuto replied," I found a cave so we will wait this storm out."

She nodded as he adjusted his grip before making another leap across a tree branch before jumping down. He had felt some movement so he had let her down before they ran into the cave together. The last time she seen a storm this bad while on a mission was the time that the leaf village had to find her after she killed all those ninjas and went missing for a few days.

Kabuto watched her as she moved away from the entrance of the cave that seemed rather small. Despite the age difference, he had always felt close to her ever since she was younger. He knew that he cared for her and it was strange considering that he usually puts up an act around everyone else. He just did not understand why he could not lie around her. He saw her take off her sunglasses to reveal her eyes.

Silence had sort of followed but it did not last long considering that Kabuto made some movement. She could hear his feet as he was making his way towards her. She turned around to face him, feeling a bit uneasy about the weather. Kabuto knew how she felt about rain considering it felt like it was telling her that bad things were to come.

Blaze told him," You always seem to be watching out for me."

Kabuto came in closer and smirked at her.

Kabuto joked," Well I am your guardian angel Blaze."

He saw her crack a small smile while he touched her hands. She had nearly blushed while his hands moved to her arms and he pulled her in.

Kabuto spoke," This just won't do. You are going to catch a cold."

She replied," I'll be fine."

He shook his head and before she could really say anything, he went after her jacket. She did try to move her arms but found herself letting him take off her soaked jacket. Her clothes were showing sign of some wet spots from the rain soaking through her jacket.

Kabuto said," At least it didn't get through your jacket but at least I got some wood to burn."

He had been able to sense that change in weather like she had but it was not exactly easy to avoid the storm when travelling. At least he had taken into account that he should have some wood at least to burn. He was wearing a back pack on his back just like she was wearing hers but hers was now on the ground thanks to Kabuto removing her jacket.

Kabuto found it interesting that she had not even attacked him but maybe it did not quite set in or she did not want to do it. Blaze took a step back while watching him. From the way this situation seemed, it would be pointless to attack. As he placed her jacket aside, he got his backpack off his back and went through it.

Blaze asked," Why did you show up?"

He questioned," Why were you on your own?"

She replied," Wasn't my idea."

Kabuto asked," A mission?"

He looked to her as she nodded.

He told her," It wasn't nice of them to send you on your own but then again, your original team was killed in action and you get assigned to a team even before you graduate."

Lowering her head, she sat against a rock while he made sure that the wood he had was not soaked. He had to take off his soaked jacket as well. As minutes passed, she looked at the rain coming down while he got the fire going. She was walking towards the entrance but a breeze that came in made her go over to where Kabuto was.

She told him," I just wish this rain would stop. It makes me feel like something bad is going to happen."

Kabuto looked up, noticing that her body was quite tense while he was tending to the fire. It felt like a sensitive topic as he spoke up.

Kabuto responded," Nothing is going to happen. Besides, you were not alone to deal with this storm but sometimes I wonder if it a sign of things to come myself considering what has happened."

Kabuto could recall the time that she had to wait at school during a huge thunderstorm and when one of the windows shattered, he was able to cover her body in time when the lightning bolt hit the building. He could not blame her for how she felt and wished that he could get rid of those painful feelings. Even he remembered how she was missing for days. Even if he was a sound ninja, he found it sometimes hard to not think of her even when he's suppose to be keeping his emotions in check.

Kabuto knew better than to let Orochimaru know of their friendship even if he knew that there might be the odd chance that he and Blaze would probably be forced to fight each other. Shivering a bit, Blaze looked up at him.

Kabuto spoke," Shouldn't be strange that we are meeting like this?"

She answered," It does feel strange but..."

She did seem to trail off considering that she did not want to strike a nerve with him. Still, he could of used her own feelings against her but couldn't. There was just something about her that had him drawn to her. She had walked towards the cave entrance and felt some of the rain hitting her as the breeze shifted the rain for a moment.

Kabuto looked over to her only to get up and rush over to her.

Kabuto yelled softly," Stay away from the entrance!"

She had almost wandered off into thought as her left arm had some rain drops. He nearly shook his head as he touched her shoulders and pulled her back. Her hair only moved a bit due to being soaked. A gasp did escape her as his ears caught it. He gripped her shoulders softly and sighed.

He softly said," You shouldn't let your mind wander like that but I guess it doesn't feel strange at all that we meet like this."

Before he knew it, a sudden noise caused her to retreat and go against his body. Kabuto may of been taken offguard at first but it did not seem to bother him. It has not been the only time that they had been close like this. The storm was not approving and he knew that it was more than the storm that was bothering her. Was it because she might be forced to face him one day or was it the past that lingered in her mind?

It wasn't fear that she felt as Kabuto placed his arms around her. They were no where close to the flames but he did not want her to see that he was a bit cold as well. He started to move backwards but placed one arm down, guiding her towards where the fire was. She did not seem to fight him as they were soon sitting down but he was right behind her. He shifted his position so that his legs were under him.

He called," Blaze?"

He had adjusted his hold on her as she closed her eyes, body resting against his. She could feel the heat of the flames as it was helping to warm the two up.

Kabuto asked," Is there something on your mind?"

Blaze did not reply right away while he looked at the flames with his dark black eyes before looking away for the moment.

Blaze answered," I am not really sure."

Kabuto knew that she was uncertain but he decided to say what she was probably thinking.

Kabuto questioned," You're scared of what's to come in the days to come aren't you?"

She answered," Perhaps. I didn't expect to find out the truth and yet, it still feels like nothing has changed between us. I know that it will probably be some time before you're found out but I'm worried of what would happen if we have to end up facing each other. I have already dealt with so much and my future feels like it will be in danger."

Kabuto did not know what secret she was hiding from him but he could only hope that she would not judge him for hiding that he was a sound ninja. From what he seen, it did appear that their bond was not even broken or that she even judged him as a bad guy.

Kabuto responded," Danger can be always expected when it is the life of a ninja but even if the circumstances change, you cannot expect things to get easier. There may be a chance that we might face each other but I'll do my best not to hurt you unless it is deemed necessary to do so."

He paused while it did appear that she was trying to move. He could of almost shook his head as a simple movement of his arms warned her not to move. Her eyes were looking around the cave since she could not look up.

He continued," It was just unfortunate that you found out the truth about me sooner than anyone else should of."

She agreed," Indeed but is that the truth?"

Kabuto nodded. Why was it so hard to just lie to her? Still, she found out about his loyalty to Orochimaru when he wore the sound headband and not changing it while on his way somewhere. All this time, no one would know that he was one until it was too late. She did not see the other side of him that was rather cruel. Still, she knew that he was more than that.

She spoke," I wish you would tell me why you joined him."

Kabuto replied," Maybe one day but it doesn't matter right now. Besides, I know that danger is soon to follow but the risks that we both took was something we did not even , even if I cannot stop telling the truth to you, it doesn't mean that there is a chance that I could lie to you in the future. Still, I think we should focus on warming up. This storm might last through the night."

There was no hint of anger on her part which might of struck anyone else as odd. Still, it was too early to tell of what would happen in the years to come. It was probably a good thing that she was rather patient and even he had some good traits. Still, he wondered what would of happened if he never ran into these people that changed his life forever.

When Blaze thought about it, it should of changed their lives considering that there was multiple enemies and yet, she had trusted him since she was younger. He had never tried to get her to join Orochimaru but if he had known about her hidden abilities, he would of probably stolen her away considering that she did not really have many friends yet.

She thought," Will be there a day when we would say that we wished that it didn't have to be like this?"

Kabuto adjusted his hold on her again but also moved her body in the process. Her legs were able to move as he was breathing into her hair. He allowed her legs to move so they were next to her on one side. Her arms were down but he brought them up and trapped her hands in his. Her heart rate did seem to go up while he warmed her hands up while making sure that they both don't get burnt.

Time was slowly going by and yet it felt like it was going fast as her cheeks turned a bit red.

Kabuto softly spoke," It seems that even now I have to make sure that you don't get hurt in any way. I still remember how you refused to speak for days after showing up at school when you were missing."

It was rather painful to think about that considering what happened after. She could still recall how traumatized she was to the point where even her teacher showed some concern because the nightmares were terrible. On one day, Iruka had given her a look as if she thought he was mad at her and it resulted in her running out. She had ended up missing which resulted in a search to find her. She could also remember how she tried to kill herself but Iruka stopped her in stopped and realizing that she was in pain, he did his best to help her.

Kabuto's expression changed as their hands did few warmer. There was silence but finally she said something.

She spoke," It was so painful to think of those events. Still, it still feels hard to open up to others."

Kabuto sighed softly while placing her arms down and touching her hair which was starting to dry up. The cave began to look darker since it was more like nightfall. Kabuto did not stop her this time as she moved. He made sure that she did not fall forward as she got next to him.

She continued," I just don't even know what to do."

She could still remember how Kabuto came to her place considering that no one else could get her to open up. He just had a way with her and it caused her to break down. Still, things did seem to change a bit from there. Even if she had isolated herself, she ended up finding a friend in Shikamaru out of all people when they had a chance encounter while he was going cloud watching.

Kabuto spoke," Things will change and you can't always let the bad things hold you down. As I recall, you are starting to warm up to others."

She did seem to somewhat agree with him as darkness started to show itself. For now, they knew that the storm had not ended. All he could feel was her body trying to keep close to his. He placed an arm around her.

Kabuto assured her," Don't worry. This storm will be gone by morning comes."

Silence had almost followed but she had to ask.

She asked him," Does that mean you will be too?"

He did seem to react to that and turned his head to look at her. Did it strike a nerve with him? If it did, it barely showed even though his expression kind of said otherwise.

Kabuto replied," I won't leave. Besides, I won't be needed just for a while. We will go back together to the village all right?"

It did seem to calm her down and he knew she needed to hear it because this weather had her unsettled.

Kabuto looked out at the entrance of the cave.

Kabuto told her," It's starting to get dark. I suggest we get some sleep."

Their clothes did feel wet but for some reason, they did not take them off. Still, they were friends and it was a bit too cold now to take them off. Nightfall had approached them but she was not sure if she could fall asleep. Kabuto gave her a bit of an assuring look even if she could not tell if his smile was fake or not.

Blaze debated," I doubt I can sleep."

Kabuto responded," Well I am here to talk to. We can probably kill some time by talking for a while but I'll keep you warm. Besides, there is nothing stopping us from being close still."

He moved his arms and did a bit of a side hug while she was next to him causing her to blush. He could not resist a smile while the flames started to die down. Knowing that she would not win, she had let him have his a few minutes, their positions were adjusted and their bodies were much warmer even if he had to tend to the fire about twice while they were talking.

As time passed, she had started to fall asleep under his watchful eye considering that he was speaking very softly. He had mostly observed her as she could seem to keep his attention. He was different than her. He had done experiments and was trained by Orochimaru. Still, he was also a medic ninja that could heal as well as harm. Still it did appear that some morals were there.

He did tend to the fire one more time before keeping close to her body to keep her warm. He knew that he cared for her but it had to be kept a secret. They might have run ins with each other in the future but it might not be the way they hope. He was not sure what would happen in the morning but even if he had to leave suddenly, he would probably leave a note or wait for her to wake up so he could say goodbye in person.

As the time passed, sleep had soon claimed Kabuto and the fire had slowly died out. The storm had lasted for most of the night but of course, it was not exactly a peaceful sleep as Kabuto woke up to the sound of Blaze having a nightmare. To his relief, she did not really wake up fully and he was able to get her to get back to sleep once more.

When morning came around, his arm had lightly applied pressure to her body as he was kind of fighting for sleep to remain for a few more minutes. Too bad that the light decided to come in a bit. Despite being further away from the entrance, he found it hard to stay asleep as the sound of birds chirping caused him to wake up. A light sound came from his lips before his eyelids opened up.

As his vision cleared, he had noticed that it was clearly sunny but there was signs of the rain drops still as the ground appeared to be wet just like the entrance of the cave. Kabuto forced himself to not release a sound only to yawn inside his mouth. His vision became quite clear to him and found his eyes looking at Blaze. Pieces of her long and dark brown hair were touching her face and her expression looked rather peaceful.

Kabuto thought," I know that we are two different sides but it feels like it doesn't matter. Danger will always be in our lives but It seems that situations will be getting more interesting if we see each other while others are around."

Blaze moved a bit as Kabuto started to move his body a bit so that they were sitting up. He had been laying down beside her just to keep her warm. When she opened her eyes, she had not turned her head right away. Her hair was still there touching her face while her arms barely moved. He looked down and was tempted to blow some air into her hair.

Kabuto whispered sweetly," Time to rise and shine Blaze."

His voice sounded so soft to her and it nearly caused her to blush while he moved away so she can have some space. Moving her hand, she removed her hair from her cheeks while Kabuto moved past her. She managed not to fall backwards while he stretched his body, walking towards the entrance.

Blaze spoke," So you stayed."

Kabuto smiled," Of course. Do you think I want to be soaked and getting a cold?"

Blaze shook her head while he came back over and helped her up. His hands did feel warm as there was sunlight in the cave. Still, she knew that he would leave soon.

Kabuto told her," At least the rain has stopped but we will have to part ways soon."

Blaze's reaction only changed a bit but he could not see her eyes under those sunglasses of hers. Still, he could not blame her. They were on two different sides now and if they had to fight each other, they would have no choice but to fight.

She asked," Are you going to see him?"

Maybe that was what she was worried about. When she found out that he was a spy, it was by accident because she saw the headband when they crossed paths one day. She was not really aware of the Sound Village but knew that something was up. Still, he had openly told her and in return, she promised to tell no one.

Kabuto replied," I might but I don't want to leave you alone while heading back. Besides, no one knows what I really do. Still, no one knows that we saw each other last night. I was only implying that I would get you back to the village but then I will be leaving soon to see Ororchimaru."

It was kind of a sigh of relief as Kabuto and Blaze went to gather their things. Blaze nearly looked at him and while she was packing, he had touched her head.

Kabuto spoke," Don't worry. Besides, I will make sure that you get back safe. Being alone is a dangerous thing."

She nodded as she looked to him. After they grabbed some food out of their bags, they ate and then looked towards the entrance. Of course, she knew that she was safe for the most part. Besides, she had no idea what was to come but it was best that she was not blind when it came to battle.

After a few minutes, Blaze was getting on her bag after adjusting her now dry clothes. Still, she was sure that even if they avoided the worst of the storm, they both might of caught colds.

Kabuto asked," Are you ready?"

Blaze replied," Ready to go."

They both walked to the outside of the cave and of course, the sun was bright. Thankfully, the trees near by provided some cover. Kabuto had one arm over his face but lowered it as the sun seemed to be covered by a very tall tree. Kabuto did seem to smile for a moment longer as he nearly touched your shoulder. You moved forward.

Kabuto asked," Walk back or jump on the tree branches?"

Blaze replied," Walk."

Kabuto was not at all surprised but she wasn't taking any chances. Kabuto touched her arm.

Kabuto spoke," It feels like the past all over again."

Blaze replied," Perhaps."

Kabuto only chuckled in response to her sounding a bit devoid of emotion. The two started to walk as droplets of rain were coming off the leaves. The remains of the rain would be gone soon enough as it was warming up.

Blaze told him,"Thanks for last night."

Kabuto replied," It was no problem. Besides, we are still close right?"

As he said that, he held her hand, causing her to blush. He chuckled as she turned her head. From there, the two of them made their way back to the leaf village. Even if they were on two different sides, it would be a matter of time before anything major broke out.

-The End- 


End file.
